Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, … We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. (Hebrews 12:1-6 NLT)

Every weight. Wow. So, that must mean that there’s more than just one or two, but quite possibly several that we haven’t even realized are weights. You know what I’m talkin’ about, the stuff that weighs you down. The stuff where the hurt & the healer collide.

I’m so committed to gettin’ that junk off of me. Yesterday I kept replaying the devotional I read concerning Moses questioning his qualifications. UGGGGG talk about a pesky weight. All day I was feelin’ like Moses.

I’m committed to getting rid of this weight for good. I’ve set my FOCUS on staying #ANCHORED so I’ve surrounded myself with every possible resource I can find that will help me get beyond myself & my rationalizations. Those “as soon as” & “I’m gonna do this when” rationalizations.

I had to come to a point where I realized I didn’t have it all together, AND THAT’S A HARD PILL TO SWALLOW. I don’t know how to do everything, and yes I can do all things in Christ, because Christ will supply ALL of my needs; however those needs include connecting me with people who can teach me what I don’t know. Or people who can do things that I can’t.

I’m LOVIN’ LOSIN’ this extra weight!

The other day in our bible study we talked about honoring our uniqueness, that each of us are designed for a specific purpose and not a single one of us can do the other person’s job. (1 Corinthians 12)

What stood out to me most was the fact that the bible actually says we shouldn’t even consider ourselves more valuable than another person, or vise versa, nor should we think that we can do life without one another. This was proof that I can’t possibly do EVERYTHING, but I can do ALL THINGS that CHRIST gave ME strength to do.

1 CORINTHIANS 12: 14 – (ISV) For the body does not consist of only one part, but of many. 15If the foot says, “Since I’m not a hand, I’m not part of the body,” that does not make it any less a part of the body, does it? 16And if the ear says, “Since I’m not an eye, I’m not part of the body,” that does not make it any less a part of the body, does it? 17If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole bodye were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18But now God has arranged the parts, every one of them, in the body according to his plan.f19Now if all of it were one part, there wouldn’t be a body, would there? 20So there are many parts, but one body.

21The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you,” or the head to the feet, “I don’t need you.” 22On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are in fact indispensable, 23and the parts of the body that we think are less honorable are treated with special honor, and we make our less attractive parts more attractive. 24However, our attractive parts don’t need this. But God has put the body together and has given special honor to the parts that lack it,25so that there might be no disharmony in the body, but that its parts should have the same concern for each other. 26If one part suffers, every part suffers with it. If one part is praised, every part rejoices with it.

I love God’s way of putting the right message in front of us, at the perfect time. I’m still reading You’re Already Amazing. Well at this point I’m not reading it. I’m nibbling on it. In bite size pieces, savoring every morsel and allowing the taste to stay with me. Oh my gosh, God has connected the pieces of this book with literally every part, every situation and every person in my life. PROVIDENCE is what Beth Moore calls it. Praise the Lord for Providence.

prov·i·dence

/ˈprävədəns/

Noun

The protective care of God or of nature as a spiritual power.

God or nature as providing such care.

Synonyms

foresight – forethought – prudence

According to merriam-webster’s here’s a clever way of considering that PROVIDENCE:

Rhymes with PROVIDENCE

ME LIKELY!!!!! Let’s run with that! When you get a chance, click each word and check out the definitions and look at how God works. WHEW y’all gonna get me shoutin’ hallelujah up in here!

So back to this providence of God. I’ve talked to so many people who have confessed one weight that consistently holds them back is financial freedom. I came across this financial freedom savings challenge & thought it would be awesome to include in our #LovinLosin challenge and help us adjust our “FOCUS”. In case you’re not sure what that means, I’ll refresh your memory on the F.O.C.U.S (finish our commitments unapologetically stronger).

What tends to hinder you? Fear of failure? Fear of commitment? Fear that you can’t do all things? Sometimes, the Providence of God says “DO WHAT YOU CAN” – you do what you can to take steps and move in the direction God has for your LIFE. (from You’re Already Amazing)

If you could create a “Do What You Can” plan, what would it look like?

Use this model from the resource library of You’re Already Amazing to help you: (please share your ‘plan’ in the comments below. I’d love to help you get rid of the extra weight. Don’t forget to apply your #LOVINLOSIN anchor scripture as you create this plan.

Monday Monday! Oh man, I can’t even pretend to act like this Monday is one of those Mondays you watch the clock til the day is done, this Monday isn’t in the same category cuz I’m totally stoked!!!!! Y’all it’s New Year’s Eve!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Last day of our #5dayFOCUS challenge to finish strong. Today’s #FOCUS word is

But the question, quite honestly keeps dissecting in my mind, creating 3 separate questions…and yet each individual question is multilevel with questions within the big question.

WHY? why would anyone think/say/believe I am…what makes me amazing?

IS IT SO HARD? I mean, is it really something I need to be convinced of, consistently? And is it a question or more of a declaration I’m screaming at the world & God with a slight plea with tear filled eyes of GIVE ME GRACE!

I’M AMAZING? again asking with uncertainty looking for confirmation…

Proverbs 13:10 NLT
“Pride leads to conflict; those who take advice are wise.”

On every page of Chapter 3, Holley has poured out her heart and addresses the heart of women who quite often can be heard muttering words of “self-confidence” hidden under other forms of insecurity such as social status & celebrity. Sometimes that status we strive for is simply asking am I enough.

I think she nailed it.

We all have lies we carry around inside us. Usually they’re so familiar we don’t even pay attention to them…the accusations and lies in our lives come in different ways. Some are completely undeserved…insensitive parents; insecure peers who tear us down to build themselves up; poor choices of our own create lingering lies long after we’ve been forgiven.

Whatever the source, God’s intent remains the same: to replace those lies with truth.

This chapter was hard.

Confession: as I read through the lies my heart began to weep, knowing I have reached a point in my own life that Christ has drawn the line in the sand and those stones cannot be thrown at me, yet others are still in the process of being exchanged with the Truth of Gods Word. I know some things, other things I KNOW.

1 corinthians 8:1 (HCSB) Knowledge inflates with pride, but love builds up. If anyone thinks he knows anything, he does not yet know it as he ought to know it. But if anyone loves God, he is known by Him.

(one version says knowledge Puffeth up… “And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know”.) Lord help me to never cause myself, to make myself “puffeth”-ed up.

As this year comes to a close the days are seeming longer for me, I’m convinced God is allowing me space & time to do the things He’s asked me to do & has whispered in my ear “you KNOW you’re fully qualified”

I remember a radio show I used to listen to as a kid that would highlight quirky stories or headlines some quite kitschy others were thought-provoking. The gist of every one was to show you that everything has a beginning, middle and end. That we should never take what it looks like and make any assumptions of C’est La Vie…he closed every show with “now you know, the REST of the story”

My life…is so far from where it began, yet it’s nowhere near the end (Jeremiah 29:11) but right here where I am, right there where you are… let’s declare…I AM AMAZING! (side bar: no puffeth)

For further “knowing” especially regarding the freedom from that annoying lie called “ENOUGH” have a conversation with God using these questions which Holley discusses/uncovers regarding the lies we’re so easily trapped by.

1 Corinthians 8 is a great ‘freedom’ scripture regarding freedom from food lies.

1. I have to be perfect? What does a god want you to pursue instead of perfection? (Hebrews 10:14)

2. I need to be more like her? Who do you tend to compare yourself to? What helps you focus on who you are in Christ instead?

3. Won’t being confident make me prideful and selfish? What’s the difference between insecurity and humility?

4. Write a short prayer asking God to continue revealing any lies in your life and to lead you into the truth about who you really are in him.

God wants to remove all those lies we keep recalling, He wants to help us KNOW that we KNOW that we KNOW (1 Corinthians 3) In the words of the late radio show host Paul Harvey, “and now you know the rest of the story, good day”.

Has anyone ever come up to you out of no where & said this to you? Honestly I think I would wonder why they said it, in the most reflex response my mind would try to run down the list of possible reason but not to mention I’d have to fight off the defeating question of their potential hidden agenda.

But why do we do that? Why can’t we just accept when we are honored? Is it some sort of self proposed humbling gesture to swat down good feed back? Why? What’s worse, we graciously take one tiny negative comment or look and start building a wall with it.

Come on we can’t do this any longer. If we have any intentions of finishing this chapter of life stronger, we can’t do that. I’m speaking to myself here.

Can we commit to each other this month that this is where we draw the line in the sand?

This is where we look in the mirror and see exactly who God created!!! THIS is where we won’t find ” MOST PEOPLE”…

This is where we get to find out… {beyond the faults & blames; beyond the quirks & ‘that’s just who I am’; beyond the rationalizations of ‘but last time I tried that’ } & we embrace who we REALLY are, where we start becoming all God created us to be!!!

(DESCRIPTION:Many women are tired. Tired of trying to do more, be more, and have more. With busy work, home and church lives, it’s easy to feel like our spiritual growth gets short-changed. But what if God is already pleased, more than pleased–totally head over heels crazy about us and our hearts regardless of our mistakes and crunched schedules? If it’s true, that big load we’ve been carrying feels lighter already. In You’re Already Amazing, Holley Gerth wants readers to know that they can lay down the burden of their own, and others expectations, and embrace who they are as beloved, talented women. Rediscover the gifts you’ve been given and the life of purpose that God has for you.)

You don’t have to do more, be more, have more…if you’re really ready to take hold of who you are and what you’re called to do, there will be no stopping you. That’s because there’s no stopping Him in YOU-and he’s got bigger plans for your life than you’ve even imagined! –Holly Gerth

So you ready? Let’s do this…

Week 1: read chapters 1 & 2

–>Which story at the beginning of Ch1 did you relate to the most (the friend at lunch, counseling client, or woman sending the email)?

–>The ‘it girl’ is thought of as a woman everyone wants to be like in our culture. Do you ever feel pressure to be like women in the media? Share one example

–>In contrast, through Scripture God says you’re an “is girl”. He looks at you and says “She is _______________.” Fill in the blank with a few of the words your heart most needs to hear today. (Example: she is loved)

Ch 2

Look back at the strengths you circled on the list in this chapter. Write your top 3 here.

–> We often think of weaknesses as a negative thing. But research shows that having weaknesses in certain areas actually helps us to be stronger in others. God also says that his “strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV). What’s a weakness you wish you didn’t have? In what ways could it actually help you be who God created you to be? (Example: being weak at details helps make you strong at seeing the big picture.)

1 John 5:14-15 NLT

And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.